Automatic ribbon-reverse



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' PQRS'HLES. AUTOMATIC RIBBON REVERSE.

No. 530,365. 1 a,1;e1ntea Deo. 44, 1894 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.4

(No Model.)

F. P. STILES.I AUTOMATIC RIBBON REVERSE.

Patentgd Deo. 4,.'1894.

ammo.. wAsHxNm-an u c UNITED STATES;

PATENT OFFICE. l`

-FnfEnPriEnPssTrLEs, on sPARTA, wisconsin;

. AUTOMATIC RlBlBoNQREvERlsEi SPECIFIcA'rroNnfqrmingpift of Letters Patent Nnlsfsoe,@aumenta/1,1894.

ripplioaiipn'hled June 11,1894. sentira. 514,220. nn Hipaa.)

Be it `known that L FMED PHEnPs SfiiLEsa citizen of the United States, residingalt Sparta, in the county of Monroe, State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Im-` provements in `Automatic `Ribbon`Reverse5 and I do hereby declare the following to be af f ull, clear, and exact description of theinven` t1on, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates generally to typewriting machines and particularly tothe rib? bon feeding mechanism.

`My invention is an improved attachment for automatically reversing the ribbon feed and it is an improvement upon the device described and claimed in my Patent No.512,Q9l, daten June 6,1894. n .i

The object of my present invention is to provide an attachment which will automatically reverse the direction of the ribbon either at the end or at any predetermined point.

Another Objectis to provide an attachment which can if needs be, be operated by an ordinary ribbon, not provided 'with any auxiliary attachments. n

`A still further object isto provide an attachment which will operate independent of the operation of the carriage.

With these various objects in view myinvention consists in the peculiarconstrction of the various parts and their novel combination or \arrangement'fall` of which will be fully described and 1Athen pointedl butin the claims. "l M fl f A In` the)r ,drawings heren-nto annexed and forming a part of `this lspeciicationfFigure 1 is a perspective View of `a part of al machine with my improved attachment applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a top plan View showing my attachment in detail. Fig. Sis a view partly in section showing the manner of operation.

In the drawings Ihave shown my invention as applied tothe wellknown caligraph ma` chine and the frame`,the carriage, and its supports, the ribbon and spools, are all of the usual constructioh'and no description of them is necessary here.

The ribbon spools are also provided with the usual ratchet disks which `are engaged by the ribbon dogs A A carried by the ribbon j ection d intermediate its ends and at the free end of said arm isattached a combined ribbon ,guide and tripping device E which projects below the frame and consists of a single piece of wire doubled upon itself and bent at right angles as shown, theupller end being attached to the armD while"Y the ribbon passes between thewmembers ofthe lower or`ho1izontal portion. f n The ribbon switch isprovided with'a vertical boss E which is adapted for engagement with the lateral projection onthe arm and to the` under side of, the` switch is attached a coiled spring Gr which in turn is connected with the frame of the machine, the tendency of such spring being to throw and hold the switch bar to the leftas shown in the drawings, and when so held the left dog is in engagement 4with Vthe leftspool, and the projection "d andboss F are out of `engagementthe arm D beingslightly elevated.

At theright hand @end bt'Y the machine is hinged aisecond armjIV-Iwhich is also provided with allateralprojection VI intermediate its ends and a combinedgnide and tripping device Kat its free endsaid tripping device being similar tothe parti] in all respects exceptthat itis shownfsomewhat shorter in length, the pnrpose of whichwill appear further on. n The projectionl is also longer `than the projectionlcl and extends nearly to the front of the frame and `at the front side of the frame is arranged a sliding plate L `having an angular offset Z at its left hand end and attached to said end is a coiled spring M which at itsopposite end is connected with the main` frame.` The sliding plate L is also provided with a vertical boss Z which is iii-1 tended for engagement with the projection t'.

A leverN is pivoted upon the frame be- IOO tween the switch bar and `sliding plate the l forward end of said lever being slotted and as the sliding plate is moved to the left by the coiled spring M.

The marginal stop O is made somewhat longer than usual so that it can engage the angular offset Z as the carriage is shifted thus setting the spring M which will operate to reverse the feed as soon as the projection I is thrown out of engagement with the projection Z', and for the purpose of raising the'tripping devices I preferably mount cross strips or stops S upon the ribbon proper which strike against the lower arms of the guides and thus raise them so as to release the switch bar. These cross strips or stops can be placed near the ends of the ribbon or at any particular points and when using more than one color ink on the same ribbon the stops are placed between the colors.

Should it be desired to use an ordinary ribbon the guide or tripping device can be made longer so that the lower member comes nearly level with the short shaft and as the ribbon i approaches the end it is drawn taut so that it alone raises the arms and its projections to release the switch.

The operation of my device is as follows: We will begin with the left dog in engagement with the ribbon spool, and the ribbon feeding to the left as indicated by the arrow.

The arm at the rightot the machine is now at its lowest position and the sliding plate is moved to its limit at the right so that the projection on the arm engages the projection upon the sliding plate and thus holds said` plate in that position. Now when the end or any particular point of the ribbon is reached the cross strip or stop S engages the ribbon guide or trip and raises it thus throwing the projection I out of engagement with the boss Z. The moment this takes place the spring M acts to draw the sliding plate L to the left and as it does so, the lever N acting upon the pin 'n' throws the ribbon switch to the right as the spring M is stronger than the spring G at the left of the machine. As the switch is moved to the right the boss F is carried a sufficient distance to permit the projection d to drop behind it and thus lock the switch in this po# sition. The direction of the ribbon has now been reversed and the dog is in engagement with the right hand spool. The right armis also elevated and its projection I out of engagement with the boss Z on the sliding plate. When the carriage isshifted however, the marginal stop O strikes the angular odset of said plate, moves it to the right and permits the arm H and its projection I to drop so that it is also set ready foraction again. The switch bar is not disturbed by this last operation and does not move until the stop or ribbon causes the guide and trip to move up throwing the F, on the switch. As soon as this takes place the spring G draws theswitch to the left and the feed of the ribbon is again reversed. The pin n is then again brought against the lever N so that when the arm H is again raised said lever will cause the switch to move to the right again. As soon as the ribbon is reversed and beginning to feed to the right, the stop S, of course, is carried back a sufficient distance before the carriage is returned, to permit the arm H, to drop down when said carriage is returned and the plate L, operated. In case, the stop S, is not moved sufficiently to eect an automatiolock, 'then the plate L, and arm H, can be set by hand. The combined ribbon guide tripping device at the left side ct the machine is shown as being much longer than the one to the right. This form is employed at each end when an ordinary ribbon is used free from all auxiliary attachments as the tension of the ribbon when nearing the end will be sufficient to raise the said tripping device, but when cross strips or stops are arranged upon the ribbon, the guide and trip can, be made small at each end as shown at the right side of the machine.

By means of my device dierent colored inks can be used upon the same ribbon and by `separating the colors by'a strip or stop all danger of accidentally running from one color to the other is avoided. y

It will also be noticed that the shifting of the switch is not done directly by the carriage', the said carriage serving only to sety the spring plate which if needs'be can be set by hand equally as well. V

It will also be seen that the device is exceedingly simple taking up very little room and it will'al's'o be noticed how easily it can be appliedA to any typewriter now in use employing a ribbon switch bar to eect the change of ribbon feed.

Where desirable, weights may be used in place of the coiled springs to shift the bar.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a ribbon shifting attachment for typewriters a spring actuated switch bar, provided at one end with means for locking the same, a tripping device for releasing said locking device,and a spring actuated shifting device arranged at the opposite end to shift it in a direction opposite to the tendency of the switch bar spring, substantially as shown and described.4 4

2. In a ribbon shifting attachment for type,i writers, a sprin g actuated switch bar provided IIO at one end with means for locking the same the same, and a tripping device for releasing.

said lock, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a ribbon shifting device for typewriting machines the combination with avswitch bar and springs for moving the same, of a locking device at each end and a tripping device at each end also for releasing the lock, and a spring actuated shifting device at one end adapted to operate the switch bar in a direction opposite to its own spring, substantially as shown anddescribed.

' 4. The combination with the frame, of the hinged arms having projections and tripping devices, the spring actuated 4switch bar and plate and the locking connections between said arms, bar and plate all arranged snbstantially as shown and. described.

5. The combination with a frame of the ribbon having one or more strips or stops thereon, the arms having trifiping devices, the spring actuated switch bar, and sliding plate and means for connecting the plate, bar and arms, substantially as shown and described.

6. The combination with a frame of the arms hinged at each end and having lateral projections, and tripping devices, the spring actuated switch bar having a boss, the spring actuated sliding plate having a boss and means for connecting the said plate and switch bar at denite intervals, substantially `pivoted between the plate and switch bar and the pins carried by said switch bar and plate, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRED PHELPS STILES.

t Witnesses:

H. ENoKHAUsEN, GEO. P. STEVENS. 

